Best The Cipher Brief Podcasts (2024)

1
Outgoing Director of the National Counterterrorism Center Reflects on today’s Very Real Terrorist Threat 41:16

12m ago41:16

41:16

Christine Abizaid, who has served as director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) for the past three years, sits down with State Secrets Podcast host Suzanne Kelly to talk about how the threat of terrorism has changed dramatically over the years and why the threat to Americans is still very real.…

1
TRM Labs and National Security: A View from Inside an Early Stage, Venture-Backed Startup 23:18

2h ago23:18

23:18

In this sponsored episode of the State Secrets podcast, host Suzanne Kelly talks with Sujit Raman, Chief Legal Officer at TRM Labs about how the private sector is working with government to address some of today’s most pressing national security challenges and how professionals like Raman, who also served as Associate Deputy Attorney General at the…

1
At NATO Summit, Putin’s Greatest Weapon is still a Scare Tactic 19:37

3d ago19:37

19:37

Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges (Ret.) Former Commanding General of the U.S. Army Europe, talks to State Secrets host Suzanne Kelly about this week’s NATO Summit in Washington DC, what Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky wants, what Europe needs to ensure its own future security and why Hodges thinks that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s greatest weapon is…

1
How Technology Impacts U.S. Intelligence 37:12

15d ago37:12

37:12

When former Google CEO Eric Schmidt launched the bipartisan Special Competitive Studies Project – known as SCSP - in 2021, he did it with the intention of bringing together the best and brightest minds in technology to make recommendations that would strengthen America’s long-term competitiveness in an increasingly complex world – a world where tec…

1
The Lights Are Going Out All Over Europe 42:06

20d ago42:06

42:06

In this episode of the State Secrets podcast, we’re talking with Cipher Brief Expert, Nick Fishwick, a former senior member of the British Foreign Office, about his column in The Cipher Brief titled, “The Lights are Going Out all over Europe”. Fishwick is talking about Europe’s relationship with Russia as it considers the possibility of war after M…

1
High Command with Retired General Frank McKenzie 40:49

26d ago40:49

40:49

In this episode of State Secrets, we’re talking with Cipher Brief Expert, retired General Frank McKenzie. General McKenzie served for forty-two years in the U.S. military as a Marine and retired as the fourteenth commander of U.S. Central Command. He also served as Director of the Joint Staff. Perhaps one of the missions he is best known for was ov…

1
Around The World With Former CIA Officer Edward Bogan 35:19

1M ago35:19

35:19

Former Senior CIA Officer Ed Bogan spent a decades-long career at CIA focused on the most urgent issues of our time ranging from counterterrorism to Russia in Ukraine. In this episode of State Secrets, Bogan shares his journey from law school to joining the CIA and his experiences in counterterrorism and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. He emphasizes t…

1
Is Russia Attacking U.S. Government Employees Using High-Energy Weapons? 41:29

2M ago41:29

41:29

“Havana Syndrome” - reported by hundreds of U.S. officials, diplomats, CIA Officers, FBI Agents and White House staff - as well as some members of their families – is described as including severe headaches accompanied by loss of balance and often followed by cognitive issues. Some doctors have concluded that the likely source is a directed energy …

1
Ukraine's Bright Hope To Build Back Stronger 28:34

3M ago28:34

28:34

The Cipher Brief made its first reporting trip to Ukraine in February of 2022. That’s when we first met Tymofiy Mylovanov, the President of the Kyiv School of Economics. When we sat down with him then, Ukraine was preparing to mark one year since Russia’s brutal invasion. Mylovanov was sober at the time about what it would take to win the war and r…

1
From Special Operations to the CIA: Assessing the Complexity of the Global Environment 32:15

4M ago32:15

32:15

Dave Pitts was the CIA’s last man on the ground in Afghanistan as U.S. troops pulled out of the country in 2021. Even though he began his career as a humble private in the U.S. military, he quickly moved into special operations and eventually, to the CIA where he retired last October as the Assistant Director of CIA for South and Central Asia. In h…

1
Live from Taiwan :A Debrief with RADM Mike Studeman (Ret) 25:21

4M ago25:21

25:21

Retired Rear Admiral Mike Studeman is the former Commander of the Office of Naval Intelligence. He has extensive experience in intelligence, foreign policy, defense and China. So, it wasn’t a surprise when Taiwan’s Vice President-Elect Hsiao – someone he had briefed along with President Tsai when he was the Navy’s Indo-Pacom Director for Intelligen…

1
Villains, Victims and Vendors in Cyberspace 34:00

5M ago34:00

34:00

Former Director of CIA’s Center for Cyber Intelligence (and Cipher Brief Expert) Andrew Boyd talks to State Secrets about the dynamic relationship between villains, victims and vendors operating in cyberspace. The CIA, he says, has been paying close attention to cyberspace “since the dawn of IP”, so what lessons can he share about how spies, thieve…

1
Iran's Proxy War Against The U.S. 28:36

5M ago28:36

28:36

Recent U.S strikes against Iranian proxy groups in Syria and Iraq may be just the beginning of a multi-tier response by the U.S. after the killing of three service members in Jordan last month and it’s raising questions about just how far the U.S. should go in limiting Iran’s ability to use these groups to launch attacks against Americans. Former C…

1
Gen Z and CIA is a Relationship in Need of Counseling 24:31

6M ago24:31

24:31

Former CIA officer Marc Polymeropoulos recently wrote an article exploring the intriguing dynamics of Gen Z in the CIA workplace, sparking a controversial debate. While research suggests Gen Z may display slower independence behaviors and cause tension with older workers in professional environments, they're redefining things like work-life balance…

1
The Innovation Gap 37:11

6M ago37:11

37:11

Former NSA Chief of Innovation Kevin Keaton left his government job last year – before the age of retirement - to accept a role as a founding partner at a venture capital firm. Today, he’s focused on closing a gap between government and the private sector that he believes is a serious issue when it comes to U.S. national security. In his first podc…

1
Secrets of Espionage 32:45

6M ago32:45

32:45

Alan Kohler spent 27 years at the FBI, where his priority for decades, was hunting down spies who were operating in the United States. As Assistant Director of the Bureau’s Counterintelligence Division, Kohler had a hand in nearly every espionage operation the Bureau conducted. He also served as Acting Executive Assistant Director of the National S…

1
A Seasoned former CIA Officer Shares Stories of War & Espionage 37:20

6M ago37:20

37:20

In his first-ever podcast interview, former 6-time CIA Chief of Station and 35-year CIA veteran Ralph Goff talks with Cipher Brief CEO & Publisher Suzanne Kelly about what’s happening now in the Middle East and the likelihood that the war will continue to spread beyond Gaza, Lebanon and the Red Sea. Goff also talks candidly about his career, which …

1
Israel, Hamas and the Path to War 29:30

9M ago29:30

29:30

In this episode Cipher Brief COO Brad Christian talks with former CIA officer and Cipher Brief Expert Marc Polymeropoulos. Marc served 26 years in the CIA before retiring from the Senior Intelligence Service in June 2019. His positions included field and headquarters operational assignments covering the Middle East, Europe, Eurasia and CounterTerro…

1
The Future of Open Source - A View from the CIA 54:20

10M ago54:20

54:20

Welcome to a special episode of the State Secrets podcast. Cipher Brief CEO & Publisher Suzanne Kelly recently welcomed the Director of CIA’s Open Source Enterprise Randy Nixon, to the virtual studio for a special briefing to talk how CIA uses OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) in its daily analytic tradecraft. He also talked about a new tool CIA jus…

1
Putting the National Cybersecurity Strategy into Practice 53:43

12M ago53:43

53:43

Cyber Initiatives Group (CIG) Principal and former Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Cyber, Risk, Resilience and Infrastructure Matt Hayden sits down with CISA’s Executive Director Brandon Wales to dig in on just how the government will implement the new National Cybersecurity Strategy and what it means for business.…

1
The Hunt for Spies in the U.S. 35:04

1y ago35:04

35:04

Earlier this month, the National Counterintelligence & Security Center - better known in the Intelligence world as the NCSC – along with the FBI - issued a joint bulletin warning stakeholders in US companies, journalists, academics and researchers who work in China about how an updated counterespionage law passed in Beijing that could put employees…

1
An Overture of the Next Phase of US-China Relations 39:46

1y ago39:46

39:46

In this episode of the State Secrets Podcast Brad speaks with Cipher Brief Expert Ambassador Joe Detrani. Ambassador Joseph DeTrani is the former Special envoy for Six Party Talks with North Korea, as well as former CIA director of East Asia Operations. He also served as the Associate Director of National Intelligence and Mission Manager for North …

1
A Life of Secrets 36:18

1y ago36:18

36:18

A new memoir by former Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence Dr. Michael G. Vickers offers incredible insights into some of the most consequential intelligence and special operations missions of our time. From the killing of Osama bin Laden to his efforts to try and stop Iran from getting a bomb, to forcing Russia out of Afghanistan, the forme…

1
The Ukraine Debrief 37:54

1y ago37:54

37:54

We’re letting a secret out of the bag this week. The Cipher Brief traveled to Kyiv to host The Kyiv Economic & Security Forum on the eve of Ukraine’s counteroffensive. Cipher Brief CEO Suzanne Kelly, COO Brad Christian and a group of national security professionals traveled in and out of the country with Cipher Brief Expert Gen. David Petraeus (Ret…

1
Ukraine's New Cyber Force 27:12

1y ago27:12

27:12

One man knows better than most, just what cyber tactics Russia has been using to attack Ukraine – not just since the full invasion in February of 2022 – but since the war began in Crimea in 2014. Since then, Ukraine has served as an unwitting testing ground for Russian cyber aggression with an impact that has often spread well beyond the country’s …

1
A Strategic View of Global Security 32:21

1y ago32:21

32:21

Cipher Brief CEO & Publisher Suzanne Kelly interviews the former Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Lt. Gen Robert Ashley to discuss Ukraine, Russia, China, and the impact of technology on todays complicated world. Listen in on what Gen. Bob Ashley has to say about the private sector’s mission in today’s security landscape.…

1
The Basics of AI and how it’s Impacting U.S. National Security 38:48

1y ago38:48

38:48

State Secrets Host Suzanne Kelly is joined by co-host Brad Christian in this conversation with Lt. General Michael Groen (Ret.) on the basics of AI and how it’s impacting U.S. National Security.By The Cipher Brief